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DRAW Vi 

FOR THE 

MOVIES 






7^- ^-*^ J \j^ H vw 



How to Draw 
For the Movies 



OR THE PROCESS OF CARTOON ANIMATION 



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OaBBSBMBaBBII 



A PRACTICAL TALK 

DEALING WITH THE DIFFERENT 

INDIVIDUAL PHASES OF 

MOTION PICTURE 

CARTOONING 



FEATURE PUBLISHING BUREAU 

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 






/ 



*\An Investment in Knowledge is the Best 
Investment in the World" 



DEDICATED TO 

EVERYONE SINCERE IN THEIR ASPIRATIONS TO ACHIEVE 

INDIVIDUAL DEGREES OF ART SUCCESS 



Cops^ight, 1918, by John R. McCrory 

©Ci.A5l2<i93 

JAN 20 IS !9 



«^<l^ I 



i 



I 



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Plate 1 — Materials and Equipment 



DRAWING BOARD SHOWING 
HOW OPENING SHOULD BE M^Dt 
NOTICE. THE- CO /M\/ENiENT LOCATIOH. WHERt 
BAR.^'^" PINS ARE PLACED. ONE. OR TWO 

ELECTRIC LI6HT BULBS MAV 8E USED fot^ 

LLUMINATION. ^ 

T-SQlMRl 




LZI 



LOCATION Of CAMERA 



'/ 



FIELD FOR. ANIMATION. 

4- 



jr 



\ 



THE STUDENT IS REQUESTED TO PAY PARTICULAR A' 

AND MANNER OF PHOTO 



OPERATORS ] _^ X 
POS ITION. 3 



TION TO CONSTRUCTION OF DRAWING BOARD 
'KING DRAWINGS 



I 



n 



The Animated Cartoon 



THE process of animating a Cartoon 
seems to have been the discovery of 
several ingenious artists one of which is 
J. R. Bray and to who much credit is given 
for the development of this field. Put after 
all the process is very simple inasmuch as it 
is based on the making of paper transparent. 
It is therefore necessary to have a special 
arranged drawing board. A common kitchen 
bread board having a rectangular opening 
cut into its center will fill the purpose very 
well. The opening should be 9x12 inches 
and should be covered with a piece of ordi- 
nary window glass. The pegs which are 
nothing but rivets or projections set 4^4 
inches apart in a bar Sj4 inches in length 
are fastened to the board at the top of the 
rectangle and immediately at the edge of the 
opening. Possibly it may be best to have 
an experienced carpenter and workman to 
equip this part for you to insure its being 
right and the cost will be small. Line the 
inside of the rectangular opening with thin 
strips of cigar box wood or something similar 
in order to hold the glass from falling 
through, strips of adhesive tape or Passe 
Partout is placed around the edges to hold 
it fast to the board on top. Any kind of 
good substantial ledger paper which is free 

'■' ■ ^• - ■ 



from watermarks will do. Be sure to have 
the hole in the paper punched to match the 
pegs bar. Any office supply store where you 
secure the paper, will punch it for you or 
you may secure a punch and do it yourself 
to insure accuracy. It will be necessary also 
to have on hand a small supply of celluloid 
on which all drawing of backgrounds are 
made. Be sure when buying to only accept 
good, clear and transparent sheets. You will 
have no trouble in securing this in either 
large or small lots at any office supply house, 
be sure to specify a .005 inch thickness in 
ordering. 

You will find later as you progress into 
this work, that celluloid is the most impor- 
tant time saver in animating a cartoon. Cel- 
luloids are used for all objects which are not 
in motion and any number can be used to 
properly take care of these idle objects. How- 
ever, where an object is motionless for less 
than ten drawings it is, of course, carefully 
traced on a separate drawing each time, the 
celluloid being used only for the other ob- 
jects which remain stationary. You must 
bear in mind constantly the value of these 
celluloids and prepare for them with care. 



T 



O PREPARE sixteen thousand pen and 
ink cartoons, each a separate and dis- 
tinct drawing and then to photograph 



them one at a time on a strip of motion pic- 
ture film is the task confronting the cartoon- 
ist who would amuse theatregoers by the 
animation of his w^ork. This is only the 
mechanical part of his new work ; there re- 
mains numerous other details in the making 
of animated cartoon films which together 
with those mentioned, make the undertaking 
quite sincere, however the remuneration in 
this line more than repays them for the vast 
amount of work, could it really be considered 
work. Perhaps, as in many cases, the film 
should require a month or more in the mak- 
ing and which could easily be viewed in less 
than twenty-five minutes on the screen, the 
artists receive all the way from $2,000 to 
$10,000 for a single reel of their mirth-pro- 
voking antics. As in the case Wisdor Mc- 
Kays' *'The Sinking of the Lusitania" which 
involved 16,000 separate drawings and re- 
quired nearly twenty-two months to execute; 
net approximately $80,000 dollars or $5.00 
per drawing. 

In the downtown district of New York 
City you will find the home of the "movie 
antics" produced by Lucius "Rube" Goldberg, 
whose work is known to the millions of news- 
paper readers. Those who are in position 
should visit this plant and become familiar 
with the steps required in the production of 
cartoon films, from the very inception of the 



idea to the projection of the finished con- 
ception upon the screen. 

The idea must be paramount in the pro- 
duction of animated cartoons, everything else 
is secondary. The audience of course does not 
have time to scrutinize the finer part of the 
technique in the drawing, but if the idea is 
good your production is bound to be a success. 
The animator once given an idea the re- 
mainder of the work is merely a matter of 
routine, he must, of course, use a certain 
amount of ingenuity, that is to either reduce 
the amount of work and still bring out the 
idea in the best possible manner, and also in 
securing unusual and clever effects. So with 
the finer ideas for the cartoon worked out 
carefully in the mind of the artist, it is ready 
for the mechanical processes. 

Since the animated cartoon film tells its 
story by means of drawings, its production 
is largely a matter of preparing the thou- 
sands of drawings necessary to carry out the 
creator's ideas. The animation of a picture 
calls for separate drawings each of which are 
a trifle different from its predecessor. The 
big problem which the artist must solve is 
just how different to make the successive 
pictures, one can easily learn to judge this 
by laying the clean sheet on which the next 
drawing is to be made over the former one 
and by flipping it up and down can with a 



little practice judge just how much to move 
an arm or leg to get the desired action. How- 
ever, in every producing studio this task is 
under the supervision of the master artist 
whose experience is such that will enable 
him to direct his staff of routine artists. 

A great deal of work is eliminated by 
the use of celluloid backgrounds. In this 
case the backgrounds of an animated cartoon 
are drawn but once. Only the action or 
animated objects must have a separate draw- 
ing, each being slightly different in order to 
give the impression of animation when the 
film is passing through the projector in the 
theatre. You will understand that the sheets 
on which animated objects are drawn are used 
in conjunction with the different backgrounds 
and in this way it gives the completed effect 
without the necessity of redrawing the back- 
ground each time. Ofttimes the background 
is in the form of a border which covers cer- 
tain parts of the sheet which contain action. 

The artist starting into this work should 
take a great interest in the manipulation of 
these finished drawings under the camera. 
In my opinion every animator should be a 
good camera man or at least understand the 
principles by which the drawings are photo- 
graphed. This will enable him to better go 
about the preparing of his drawings for 
animation. Considerable knowledge of mo- 



tion is very important in properly animating 
a drawing in spite of the seeming simplicity 
of the finished which you view on the screen. 
You must realize that should the artist finish 
a scene having one character with his foot 
in the air or fail to stop all his characters at 
a standing position when he wishes to bring 
in more important action. Suppose, for in- 
stance you were preparing a scene of a man 
walking down a street, you must know how 
many sketches are necessary to have this 
character cover the distance at the proper 
gait. Too few will make the action jerky 
and too many will make the character lag. 
From five to seven positions are normally 
required to make a perfect step in walking. 
The master artist handles this part, indicating 
the difference between one drawing and the 
next and leaving the details of finishing the 
drawings to other members of his staff. 

The artists work on an easel consisting 
of a slanting piece of ground glass held in a 
suitable frame (details of which will be ex- 
plained in another part of the text). An elec- 
tric light is placed below to illuminate his 
copies and to insure perfect duplicates in ac- 
tion. By laying a clean sheet of paper over 
the last drawing and indicating on it the dif- 
ference of action between the new^ drawing 
and his former one, he can then easily tell 
at a glance the animation he has secured, 

—8— 



The greater mass of time is required for 
the preparation of the drawings, the photo- 
graphing is a simple matter though very 
slow. All drawings are photographed by 
using a motion picture camera mounted on a 
substantial frame, erected for this purpose. 
The lens point directly downward and the 
drawing should lay exactly horizontal with 
the camera. The drawings are photographed 
on a similar registering device to that used 
in their making. The light used to illuminate 
the drawings is supplied by mercury vapor 
tubes placed on either side. Some studios use 
electrically operated cameras while others ar- 
range a shaft and a crank running down 
from the camera, the ratio of gears being 
such that one turn of the crank cause one 
exposure in the camera. 



THE author has endeavored to set forth 
to the student a full set of instructions 
embodying all the principles of anima- 
tion and the production of the "movie'' car- 
toon. The student is advised to study care- 
fully the text matter and note every reference 
which is made to the plates before starting 
to work. At first it will be best to practice 
on cheap scratch pad paper. 

In order that you may know just what 



material is necessary in the full execution of 
this work, I have made out a list of every 
essential article as used by the experienced 
artist and the approximate cost. 

Pegs $0.75 

A paper punch 1.00 

Paper punched (if desired) per 

100 75 

Celluloid 

In all cases the student may or may not 
have access to electricity. In the event elec- 
tricity is not available you may arrange your 
board close to a window in such a manner 
that light will come under the board suf- 
ficiently to enable you to do satisfactory 
work. 

You must bear in mind that the real 
success of this work depends upon keeping 
your work simple and that fine line shading 
or even in a measure cross hatching must 
be eliminated. Strong bold outline and solid 
blacks bring out the work most effectively. 
You can, of course, bear in mind that this 
field is as yet still in its infancy and is 
wide open to new ideas which may present 
themselves from time to time. 



O 



FTTIMES the scenarios are not prepared 
by the same artist who animates the 
drawings, but are written and prepared 

—10— 



by an artist who does nothing* but prepare 
scenarios. It is necessary in this case for the 
scenario artist to make his descriptions very 
vivid so that the animators will have no dif- 
ficulty in preparing the proper kind and 
amount of drawing to properly bring out the 
idea. He must plan the movements of the 
characters and even figure accurately just 
how the action will be carried on and what 
parts of the layout will be disturbed in the 
movements. 

You are to remember that as little as 
possible of the layout should be disturbed. 
You will understand by this that the orig- 
inal outlay is disturbed when the action 
passes in front of it and in this case the lines 
so disturbed must be traced each time until 
the action frees these lines and a celluloid 
overlay can replace them. 

Let us take for example a simple scene 
in which the action will be that a man will 
walk in from the right, stop and turn to the 
audience, wink and scratch his head with his 
right hand. If you wish to carry the au- 
dience's attention, which is the primary ob- 
ject in either an advertising cartoon film or 
the regular feature release — you might have 
a table at the left side of the screen with 
a glass on it. Your character could pick up 
the glass with his right hand, turn again to 
the audience, wink, scratch his head and w^alk 

—11— 



off. This comprises the methods whereby 
the action is planned. 

One thing is necessary in planning the 
action for a scene, and that is to note care- 
fully the manner in which the settings 
are arranged, and how few lines will be dis- 
turbed in carrying out your proposed action. 
Referring again to the simple arranged scene 
of the man, the table and the glass; the man 
enters from the right, the table is on the left, 
the glass is set on the right edge of the table 
and the lines of action will disturb scarcely 
any lines of the scene. Also in repeating the 
winking and scratching the head, which is a 
good comedy feature, you can merely re- 
peat the drawings which were used after 
he entered. The use of repeat drawing will 
be explained in another part of this in- 
struction. 



THE "MAYER" METHOD OF ANI- 
MATION. 

"Hy" Mayer has originated a very unique 
and interesting manner of producing mo- 
tion picture cartoons, which seems to be used 
only by himself in his films which are re- 
leased through Universal Film Corporation. 
It occurred to Mr. Mayer that it would be 
both interesting and practical to draw the 
cartoon on the screen, before the very eyes 
of the spectators. The camera is arranged 

—12— 



so that his hand and a portion of his arm is 
shown while at work. 

In order to do this work effectively, it 
makes it necessary to construct a special de- 
vice on which the producing camera is placed 
at exactly right angles to his drawing board. 
And also at such a distance that the image 
of his cartoon and portion of his moving 
arm will fill the aperature past which the 
film passes. 

As inspiration is the source of nearly all 
original construction, Mr. Mayer waits until 
an inspiration for his cartoon presents itself, 
then calls the Universal headquarters instruct- 
ing them to send up a photographer. When 
he arrives, the filming begins. Sometimes 
every move of the artist is reproduced upon 
the screen, but ofttimes the work becomes too 
long and would prove burdensome to the 
audience, so the photographer stops while 
Mayer works in a portion of the unimportant 
details. However I do not want you to get 
the idea that the artist really draws his crea- 
tions as fast as they appear to be on the 
screen, in fact this would really be impossible, 
that is, to do it with any degree of accuracy. 
You must understand that there are sixteen 
exposures or separate photographs on each 
foot of film and the normal rate of projection 
is one foot per second or sixty feet per 
minute, 

—13— 



The motion picture camera is constructed 
with two separate driving mechanisms for 
different speeds. The one normally used in 
taking studio views or action as it really 
exists exposes one-half a foot of film at one 
complete turn of the crank and it is estimated 
that the operator can make two complete 
revolutions per second thus taking the pic- 
ture at the exact rate it is to be projected. 
The other mechanism is geared much slower 
and only exposes one-sixteenth of a foot or 
one single picture at each revolution of the 
operating crank. This, the "trick grind" as 
it is called by studio men is used in produc- 
ing all cartoon film, advertising film and 
sub-titles. This then explains the reason for 
the action of drawing appearing so rapid 
upon the screen. The fact the artist can 
move his hand or work in any amount of 
detail between each exposure and therefore 
cutting out a great deal of footage makes it 
readily understood that the action will nat- 
urally appear fast upon the screen. 



—14- 



Drawing for the Movies 



THERE is a greater demand for ani- 
mated cartoons in the moving picture 
industry today than the available sup- 
ply. The large film producing companies 
are unable to meet this demand for "ani- 
mateds" because there are not enough artists 
who can draw them. 

In addition to the theatrical end of this 
field — which is very tremendous and an ever- 
growing — the possibilities for these new pen 
pictures in the commercial fields are almost 
unlimited, and what is more these fields have 
scarcely been touched upon. 

A recent article in the "Moving Picture 
World," a periodical published in the interest 
of theatrical people, it heartily commends the 
rapid development of the animated cartoon: 

"We are glad to see the cartoon on the 
screen make such decided progress. The car- 
toon, more than any other form of kinemato- 
graphic work, emphasizes the great similarity 
between the screen and the newspaper as 
mediums of expression. The moving picture 
cartoon is far more effective than any still 
cartoon can be." 

Many nationally known artists have now 
—15— 



decided to turn their entire time and talent 
toward this new field and find that their 
remuneration in this work is much larger 
than formerly. 

An animator is not necessarily a master 
of pen and ink, an artist to make a success 
of this work need only study the principles 
of animation and, of course, be able to draw 
a little bit. Many of the moving picture 
studios which make animated cartoons for 
advertising work as well as the regular pro- 
gram films, employ as many as thirty and 
forty artists, of course a great many of whom 
do nothing more than black in drawings that 
have been outlined by some one else. In 
breaking into the field this is the natural 
process and is the first step. First, find 
out where the studios are located, should 
there be any in your city or make note of 
the list furnished with these instructions and 
make application either in person or by let- 
ter, also sending samples of your work. This 
is by far the most interesting branch of art 
work and there are better chances for ad- 
vancement for the MAN who is in earnest 
and who wishes to make good. 

Owing to the fact that it ofttimes takes 
months to produce a single film, these comic 
productions usually bring a small fortune, as 
it is quite a difficult job to construct one suc- 
cessfully. Do you realize that it requires 

— 16 — 



about thirty persons working eight hours a 
day to produce one "Mutt and Jeff or 
"Dreamy Dud" film a week, and which you 
view in from 12 to 15 minutes on the screen. 

You must understand that the process of 
drawing on celluloid is now being used almost 
exclusively in the making of animated car- 
toons. This, of course, eliminates the neces- 
sity of redrawing the entire scene each time, 
but only the part requiring motion. The 

drawing which is made upon transparent sur- 
faces and which consists of the parts which 
remain immovable are placed under the draw- 
ing which contains the action and both are 
photographed at once. To get the effect of 
waving, or the wave motion, nearly two hun- 
dred drawings are required, each one begin- 
ning where the last left off, and so on. 

You are perhaps familiar with J, R. Bray, 
the originator of the Bray Paramount Pic- 
tograph Cartoons and a former staff artist on 
Judge. He is, in fact, the one who made the 
production of animated cartoons possible. His 
staff today consists of over twenty artists and 
assistants, who turn out on an average of one 
complete film each week. 

In the many other studios of New York, 
Chicago, San Francisco, Kansas City and 
many other large cities large numbers of 
former newspaper cartoonists are now work- 
ing at this new trade. Nearly every comic 

—17— 



strip artist is having his work issued in ani- 
mated form for the eager public. 

While not a great deal of equipment is 
required to produce animated cartoons, a 
studio for this purpose is very similar to a 
photo-play studio. It has, of course, its di- 
rectors, scenario writers, camera men, also 
scenery which make up the different back- 
grounds used beneath the celluloids. All this 
material, including all drawings, celluloids, 
backgrounds and so forth are filed away in 
the event that another scenario should call 
for similiar settings. 



-18- 



Points for Special Study 

Technical Terms 



THE FIELD. 

The field is the space inside of which 
all action must operate freely. The field 
lines should be ruled on the glass of your 
drawing easel, 7x93^ inches is a very appro- 
priate size for the field of action. All action 
should be started from behind the field lines 
before entering the field proper. Always try 
to keep in mind that simplicity must be the 
key note in constructing all the backgrounds 
which make up the field. You can readily 
see that if you add a bunch of unnecessary 
details, merely to suggest surroundings, you 
are going to detract from the main plot of 
the action. In cartoon advertising films, 
where separate figures are used on top of 
reverse wash and water color drawings, much 
more detail can be used both in the figures 
and the scene. 

NUMBERING DRAWINGS. 
The paper drawings are numbered in 
order, on the upper right hand corner of 
each sheet. The scene number is put on 
each drawing in the upper left hand comer, 
so as not to get the scene and action num- 
bers confused. On each new scene the draw- 
ings begin at "one'* and number up. In case 

—19— 



that you have already finished two succeed- 
ing drawings and numbered them, then no- 
tice that in order to bring out some minor 
point, it will be necessary to add three or 
four extra drawings between. Say the draw- 
ings were numbered 9 and 10, number the 
extra drawings 9A, 9B and 9C then follow 
with 10 as before. All celluloids are alpha- 
betically indexed. Beginning A, (B, C, etc. In 
case two or more celluloids are required for 
the first scene, indicate this Al, A2, A3, etc. 

"REGISTERING.'' 

Perfect register must be maintained at 
all times and is really the first consideration 
in preparing animated cartoon drawings, you 
must realize that the enormous magnification 
of the projected film causes even the slightest 
variation to become noticeable and as a con- 
sequence causes severe eye strain on the part 
of the audience following the characters in 
their "jumpy'' path. It is necessary to con- 
nect the action from one position to another 
clean and even, jerky and jumpy action is 
especially to be avoided. It will be well to 
study people and see the different positions 
and characteristics which is evolved in walk- 
ing and running. When the pins or pegs in 
the drawing easel and those on the photo- 
graphing table are exactly the same and en- 
gage the perforated paper in the same man- 
ner, very little trouble will result if perfect 

—20— 



register has been maintained in tracing or 
copying. 

TRACING DRAWINGS. 

Ordinarily the action of each separate 
drawing should advance about one-quarter of 
an inch, this will vary of course, depending 
on the speed with which the action is to be 
made. In short action where the space is 
limited, make a division for each move and 
space the action each time, the distance of 
one of the divisions. You must pay careful 
attention in operating your action, that 
all moves are equi-distant. Very fast action 
should never be spaced further than three- 
quarters of an inch apart, because jumpy 
action is the result, if wider spacing is used 
and this is very bad for the eyes. While 
spacing drawing does not always govern the 
speed on the film, but it does govern the 
smoothness of the action — slow action in the 
drawing can be made much slower by being 
given a larger number of exposures under 
the camera. Always keep in mind that the 
fewer the exposures the faster the action will 
appear on the screen when projected at the 
normal rate. The drawings and exposures 
however, should have a common relation as 
to speed and spacing. 

RULES FOR ANIMATION. 
Always try to avoid having two or more 

—21— 



characters or objects in action at the same 
time, unless that the nature of the plot 
makes this necessary and then always try to 
check this as quickly as is possible. It is 
almost impossible for the eye to follow more 
than one character movement at one time. 
Being very careful each time to bring the 
characters which are to cease action to some 
natural and appropriate position before en- 
deavoring to keep them idle for any period 
of time. It is best to indicate something 
which is occupying the attention of the mo- 
tionless characters — there may be indication 
of thinking, resting or sleeping. Always try 
to in some way eliminate all characters whose 
presence have no bearing on the plot, as they 
only make unnecessary detail for the eye to 
follow. 

"CUT OUTS." 

Cut outs are used by the camera man 
in many cases and therefore eliminating the 
necessity of making a large number of extra 
drawings. The cut out is any object which 
is cut out of paper or celluloid and laid over 
the drawings which are being animated. Let 
us take for example, if a man's hat blows 
off his head and out of the field of action, a 
separate drawing of his hat is made and 
carefully cut around the outside lines. This 
you understand makes it much easier for the 
artist, for instead of animating the move- 
ments of the hat in separate drawings, the 

—22— 



dummy cut out is moved under the camera 
until it reaches the edge of the field lines, 
thus bringing out the effect of the blowing 
out of the scene. 

MODELS FOR HEADS. 

It may seem very hard at first to retain 
a good likeness of all characters throughout 
your work. In order to keep your likenesses 
exact it is best to make a complete set of 
head positions of each character which you 
are animating. You can then trace direct 
from the model by placing it under the sheet 
in the exact position desired. You not only 
have the advantage of keeping a good like- 
ness but hold a proportion which is rather 
difficult to secure free hand. 

It is best to draw up a set of head models 
in a row and close together on a slip of 
narrow paper, which can easily be placed in 
any position under the sheet which you wish 
your likeness. From five to six different 
positions are required in order to turn the 
head. Starting with one rear view, one pro- 
file, one three-quarter front view, one front 
view and one three-quarters rear view. In 
order to make this for either right or left, 
simply turn the model sheet over and trace 
the same heads on the opposite side of the 
sheet. Fully armed with all these five posi- 
tions of your character as a model you can 
instantly reproduce any position desired. In 

—23— 



/ 



the event you should at some time have use 
for a position other than those on the model 
sheet, then sketch this new^ position out care- 
fully, being sure to get all the features ac- 
curately placed and retain a copy for your 
model slip for future use if desired. 

REVERSE AND REPEATING OF 
DRAWINGS. 

Take for instance a long freight train 
moving across the screen can be represented 
by locomotive, tender and several cars, a few 
separate draw^ings of a chain of cars are all 
that is necessary, by alternating these the ef- 
fect of a very long train may be produced. 
The same process can be applied in other forms 
to meet other circumstances and conditions. 
The artist usually indicates by marking on the 
bottom of his drav^ing R. x R. when a draw- 
ing can be reversed and repeated. It re- 
quires five movements to produce the effect 
of a man putting a cigar in his mouth. From 
two to four more to put his head back in a 
slow and natural manner, from four to six 
for him to blow a cloud of smoke up to the 
top of the scene. This in all would require 
from fourteen to sixteen separate drawings. 
The man is to repeat this smoking several 
times in order to bring out the action. You 
will make a note at the bottom of drawing 
fourteen, "Reverse 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 
repeat 1 to 14.'' This takes the cigar out of 

—24— 



the man's mouth and returns him to his orig- 
inal position, puts the cigar back in his mouth 
and blows the smoke cloud again. The move- 
ments can be repeated as many times as is 
necessary to properly bring out the idea and 
then the work can proceed with drawing 
fifteen. These points have merely been put 
in here to familiarize the student with the 
finer parts of the production end. There 
are many subjects to be taken up before you 
will be required to use the reverse and re- 
peat drawing, but bear in mind that this will 
many times save you considerable work and 
should be w^orked whenever possible. Take 
for instance in a very simple scene as a dog 
chasing a man around a large tree or shed, 
it will possibly require from eight to ten 
drawings to make one complete circle, these 
same drawings can be manipulated in such 
a manner for say eight or ten feet of film 
or 160 exposures to produce the effect of a 
continual rotation. 

PHOTOGRAPHING THE DRAWINGS. 

The artist has very little to do with this 
branch of the work. However he should un- 
derstand how the drawings go under the 
camera and as I have said before should have 
a good general knowledge of their manipula- 
tion as well as the general operation of the 
cameras. The photographer assembles the 
finished drawings and their corresponding 

—25— 



backgrounds in their proper order and tak- 
ing successive pictures by giving them the 
proper number of exposures. Ofttimes the 
artist who makes the drawing, knowing the 
conditions under which it is to work, marks 
the number of exposures he thinks it should 
be given. Usually, however, this is left up to 
the good judgment of the photographer. The 
work proceeds not unsimilar to that of feed- 
ing a job press until the thousands of ex- 
posures are made at the rate of sixteen to 
every foot. 

EXPOSURE. 

This term means the exposing of the 
sensitive film while the drawing is under the 
camera, or in other words each turn of the 
crank produces one exposure there being six- 
teen to each foot of film. Each separate 
drawing may be given any number of ex- 
posures depending upon the speed of action 
needed. When fast action is wanted the 
drawing is given about two exposures, rapid 
action only one. When a man hesitates, the 
drawing is usually given about six exposures 
and a pause from 14 to 18. The photog- 
rapher should fix an exposure list to operate 
action by. There can be no set rule for cor- 
rect exposure which would apply under all 
circumstances, it is merely left up to the 
artist's integrity to plan his action and the 
proper speed. 

— 26— 



The artist ofttimes makes out an expos- 
ure list to serve as a guide for the camera 
man. It consists of two ruled columns to 
take care of the "Numbering Up." In the 
first column put the number of the drawing 
and opposite it in the next column put the 
number of exposures and so on till the last. 
Whenever you come to where a new cellu- 
loid overlay is necessary indicate it with the 
letter which corresponds to the one on the 
drawing and underscore it. 



-27— 



How Good Action is 
Produced 



THE artist must make close observations 
of natural movements of human beings, 
animals, fish and in fact everything 
which has action. Walking is considered the 
first division of action or motion. Let us 
then take up the different movements in 
walking as showing on the large action plate. 

Eight separate drawings are required in 
order for the character to make two complete 
strides in a natural manner and return to his 
former standing position, as in Fig. lA. 
Notice the drawing of Fig. 1 in the upper 
left hand corner. The figure is standing on 
his left foot with the right raised slightly 
and ready to move forward. It is very im- 
portant to always keep the figure erect, other- 
wise the action will be jerky and unnatural. 
For smooth action, advance the body from 
J4 to ^ of an inch on the next drawing and 
complete the figure as shown in No. 2. The 
left foot maintains the same position as in 
Fig. 1 and must register before the left foot 
is traced. You will notice that the left leg 
from the hip to the foot has inclined for- 
ward with the move and is drawn indicating 
this action. The figure advances his right 
foot with sole of shoe parallel to the ground 

—28— 



Plate 2 — Animated Action 




ACTION 




and lifting his knee slightly as shown in Fig. 
2. Fig. 3 brings about the first stride the 
left and right legs are straight out from each 
other for the first time. Notice particularly 
that the right foot lands directly on the heel 
and the left rises on the toe. However the 
left foot has not left the ground and will 
therefore remain identical in both Figs. 2 
and 3. 

Another detail which escapes the notice 
of many artists and which I had possibly men- 
tioned just at this time, is the fact that in 
Fig. 3 when the character makes the stride 
the arms of the body are at their extreme 
positions. You understand that in order to 
keep a good balance at all times it is neces- 
sary for the right arm to move back as the 
right leg goes forward and the left comes 
forward in conjunction with the right leg. 
This you have possibly noticed many times 
in watching people walk, but a great many 
artists either fail to realize the importance 
of this factor or fail to emphasize it in their 
drawings. Thereby spoiling their work with- 
out really knowing what is wrong. 

In Fig. 4 the right foot falls flat on the 
ground while the left is raised slightly. You 
will notice that the body is allowed to slope 
forward slightly, while in Fig. 5 which is 
only a mere movement of the left leg, it is 
necessary for the body to bend back. The 

—29— 



position in Fig. 5 is identical with that of 
Fig. 1 inasmuch as it completes one stride 
and brings the figure with the left leg raised 
instead of the right. This is followed by 6, 
7 and 8 which are respectively duplications 
of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 with the exception that 
the figure is standing on the opposite leg. 

Always bear in mind whether you are 
animating celluloid pen and ink figures or 
the black and white jointed figures as used 
in advertising film, to always bring your char- 
acters to a standing position before allowing 
them to remain motionless for anv definite 
time, and then it is best to indicate that their 
attention is pre-occupied as in staring, think- 
ing or sleeping. Therefore in stopping a 
figure always bring him to an upright posi- 
tion as in Fig. 10. Fig. IB takes up the 
act of turning, three positions are required 
for this — one two-thirds view as shown, one 
direct back and other two-thirds opposite to 
the one shown. You will notice that a 
slightly different method of handling is used 
in Figs. lA and IB, this is to impress the 
student with the fact that he will be required 
to use all the different mediums and manners 
of handlings. 

A suggestion for an interesting cartoon 
film is presented on this plate. The slightly 
"peeved'' goat labled "ACTION" could easily 
be carried out in a series of trips across the 
screen, interceded by wild exclamations from 
the colored character. This kind of a scene 
always gets the attention of an audience. 

—SO— 



H 



i 

'4 



» 



/ 



i 



Plate 3 — Scenarios — Scenarios— For Cartoon Films 




THE SCENE OF ACTION 




Description of Action and Wording 



THE WORDING AT FINISH 




Htm. , 



Cartoon Advertising 
Films 

How They Are Made 

THIS is by far the broadest field for the 
aspiring cartoonist as it affords an op- 
portunity to get your work before the 
reading public, long before it would be ac- 
ceptable through other mediums. 

You are no doubt aware of the fact that 
the numerous cartoon "ad'* films which you 
see at every theatre all over the country, are 
made in reverse, in other words, the exposed 
film, which is used in their production is the 
direct positive stock and for that reason it 
is necessary to make all drawings in reverse, 
that is, to say, as far as the two colors are 
concerned. Everything which is to appear 
white on the screen is made dark in the draw- 
ing. After all it is not a handicap to do this, 
but instead it brings about a vast saving both 
in the way of time and money, and the fact 
is that it is just as easy, after a little prac- 
tice to make the drawings in reverse. If this 
was not done, it would be necessary to make 
a positive print from every photographic im- 
pression made in the camera, in order to get 
the solid black background which is so pleas- 
ing to the eye on the screen, 

—31— 



Those of you who understand even the 
first principles of photography, know that a 
camera always photographs black white and 
white black in the first impression. In the 
ordinary kodak we call the first exposure a 
negative, because it is the opposite of the 
actual object. The only difference, however 
between negative and positive film is that 
it takes a longer exposure with positive to 
get the same result that the negative gets, 
but the positive gets a more definite image. 
Therefore the positive stock w^hich is used 
in producing Animated Advertising Film is 
exactly what is wanted to produce the de- 
sired results at the smallest cost and less 
labor. 

As has been said, everything which is to 
appear white on the screen must be made 
black in the drawing. You have noticed, 
much to your surprise that the trailer or tail 
piece which is comprised of the reading matter 
of the **ad" is brought on in an animated 
manner. This is done in the original on a 
plain white card with pure black showcard 
color. The letter artist does not stand by 
the camera and put on one letter a time as is 
the opinion of many. Instead the entire card 
is written in full as it is seen at the end of 
the completed ad on the screen. The entire 
act of animation is left to the camera man. 

The fact of the matter is that every film 

—32— 



PLATE-4-HEAD 





TYPES OF FACES 
WHICH ARE EASIEST 
TO AM/MATE. 




I 



HE^AD 



'\^ 



which you see used by advertisers is made 
in the camera backwards. That is the pho- 
tographer starts off with the completed por- 
tion which you see last on the screen, then 
beginning at the bottom right hand corner 
and working toward the left and upward all 
the time, cuts away a portion of the card 
and giving a few exposures between each 
change. 

He must be careful, however, that ample 
time is given between each change for the 
audience to easily read all the wording, be- 
fore more comes on. It has been scientificallv 
figured that eight turns or one-half foot of 
film (which amounts to one-half a second 
on the screen), should be given the average 
sized word of six to seven letters. 

Then when the photographer comes to 
the part requiring the action of the charac- 
ters he proceeds as before, placing the fin- 
ished scene and all the characters under the 
camera first, and keeping in mind that all 
characters must walk backwards, in order to 
have the right action when it is run through 
the projector. ^ 

Usually for this work, only one drawing 
IS made for each character and one separate 

foTnTef, '^' '""" ^^' characters have 
jointed legs, arms, etc., also removable heads 
and layover expressions, so by a careful 

~33~ 



• •• • 

• • •• 



manipulation a very clever and lifelike ef- 
fect can be obtained. 

You see by having the drawings prepared 
in this manner, with jointed legs, arms and 
layover faces, it is not necessary to make 
a new drawing for each exposure under the 
camera and thereby speeds up the production, 
for the experienced camera man can manipu- 
late these characters much more quickly and 
get any original effects which he may de- 
sire. One objection however, to this method 
of animation of cartoon figures, is that many 
times the figures look entirely too stiff, for 
the reason that one drawing is made to do 
all the way through the action. If a separate 
drawing was made, every little necessary ac- 
tion could be brought out in a natural man- 
ner, such as a sudden twist of the body or 
similar action. 

This is a branch of cartoon work which 
I am sure will prove interesting as well as 
valuable to every young cartoonist, or the 
experienced man in the "game" for that 
matter, for it trains the eye to judge well 
balanced settings, gives you a knowledge of 
proper action and just what positions a per- 
son assumes in taking a step. 

You have no doubt wondered how cer- 
tain scenes were made to change slowly into 
something different, yet it was done in such 
a -manner that it was scarcely detectable to 

—34— 



the eye. This is merely a double exposure 
of the film. The film is rapidly exposed to 
one scene then the lens is covered and the 
film turned back the exact number of turns 
which it was moved forward and then the 
scene is changed and another rapid exposure 
is made, thus forming the above mentioned 
phenomenon. 



—35— 



The Market 

WHERE and how can I find a market 
for an animated cartoon or ''film ad'* 
scenario? This is one of the ques- 
tions which is occasionally asked by the be- 
ginner in the field. But once you get started 
in the work and begin to understand the 
principles of this new profession you find 
that the number of markets are unlimited. 
Every theatre runs from eight to ten local 
advertising films which are changed every 
week beside the regular daily program of 
animated pictograph film. All this must be 
produced by the busy artist in the few avail- 
able studios over the country. After some 
practice on the exercises and your efforts 
have resulted in good animation, one of the 
best ways of marketing the product is to co- 
operate with a local camera man on a fifty 
fifty basis. The most common plan which is 
exercised is that the artist draw the cartoons 
and the camera man will photograph and 
distribute the films to the different exhibitors. 
However, it will in many cases be best to 
just hire the camera man to photograph the 
cartoon at a reasonable rate per foot, which 
should never in any event be over 10 cents 
per foot. Once you have obtained the nega- 
tive film and the first print which enables you 
to solicit your own business and display your 
work on the screen, if requested. Any num- 

—36— 



ber of positive prints can be made from the 
original negative vv^hich you secure from the 
camera man. 

In order to acquaint you with, just what 
is wanted by the motion picture producers 
and exhibitors, let me say that the cartoon 
(that is the part containing the figure ani- 
mation) must lead up to some excuse for 
letters or copy to appear for advertising pur- 
poses. I am going to suggest a few simple 
scenarios in order that you may understand 
just the nature of the work which is being 
accepted by the large moving picture houses. 

A very beautiful, and well dressed maid 
appears upon the screen, standing beside an 
old fashioned dash churn. She churns very 
steadily for a time, then stops, turns to the 
audience and smiles. (Note — In making the 
up and down strokes in churning about three 
drawings are required in order to raise the 
"dasher'' and a like number to lower it, there- 
after the churning can be carried on, by re- 
peating the used drawings). When she con- 
tinues churning for a time, then suddenly 
letters begin to appear coming from the top 
of the churn, they rise to the top of the 
screen and form the wording "Use Home- 
Maid Butter," the scene then flashes off and 
remainder of wording appears simultaneously. 
The lettering, however is the duty of the let- 
ter artist or card writer and does not affect 
the artist. 

—Z7^ 



A small figure enters from the left carry- 
ing a trunk, another character enters from 
the right and speaking in balloon wording 

says, "Say, Mr. why don't you call the " 

the scene can then fade off and the adver- 
tising copy for some transfer service com- 
pany appears. 

The large firms who specialize in ani- 
mated advertising cartoons are constantly 
seeking the clever cartoonist's work. The 
work in many cases must of necessity be very 
simple, as in the case of the horse running 
as shown on the plates, this is done entirely 
in brush and shows very effectively just how 
very rapid action can be designated. There- 
fore, this is in many cases the best chance 
for the student securing a salaried position. 
The work being varied, the workers are di- 
vided into three classes. Professional ani- 
mators receive from $40.00 to $150.00 per 
week, being rated of course in accordance 
to the amount of footage they turn out each 
week. The celluloid overlay artists who are 
proficient at tracing earn from $25.00 to 
$40.00 per week. The tracing which is done 
mostly by girls pays from $12.00 to $25.00 
per week. 

I have prepared a special plate which 
describes just how the scenarios are prepared 
and used in the average ad film producing 
studio. It will be to your advantage to study 
this very carefully both as to the sketch sug- 

—38— 



gestions and the descriptive matter which de- 
scribes the action for the benefit of the cus- 
tomer (first) and later the camera man. Both 
the sketch and lettering is not supposed to 
be the best or even accurate, it is done in 
pencil and is intended merely to show the 
customer what will be the nature of the fin- 
ished film. 

A list of the largest cartoon film pro- 
ducers may prove interesting and valuable 
to you: 

The Rothacker Film Co., Chicago, 111. 

The Camel Film Co., Chicago, 111. 

Bray-Paramount Co., New York, N. Y. 

The Wm. Fox Film Co., New York, 
N. Y. 

The Ad-Film Co., Kansas City, Mo. 
United Film Ad Co., Omaha, Neb. 

Rosenfield Publicity Service, Des Moines, 
Iowa. 

THE FUTURE. 

"The longer I live said Fowell Buxton, 
whose name is connected in philanthropy with 
that of Wilberforce, the more certain I am 
that the great difference between men, be- 
tween the feeble and the powerful, the great 
and the insignificant, is ENERGY— INVIN- 
CIBLE DETERMINATION— a purpose once 
fixed, and then death or victory. That qual- 
ity will do anything that can be done in this 
world — and no talents, no circumstances, or 
opportunities will make a two-legged creature 
a MAN without it." 

—39— 



The Man Who Wins 



The man who wins is an average man, 
Not built on any particular plan, 
Not blest with any particular luck 
Just steady and earnest and full of pluck, 
When asked a question^ he does not 

guess, ^ 

He knows and answers "No" or "Yes" 
When set a task the rest can't do, 
He buckles down 'till he puts it through. 
Three things he's learned : that the man 

who tries 
Finds favor in his employer's eyes; 
That, it pays to know more than one 

thing well; 
And to hold the tongue when others tell. 

So he works and waits 'till one fine day 
There's a better job with better pay; 
And the men who shirked whene'er they 

could 
Are bossed by the man whose work made 

good. 
For the man who wins is the man who 

works. 
Who neither labor nor trouble shirks, 
Who uses his hand, his head, his eyes. 
The man who wins is the man who tries. 

— Door Ways. 
—40— 

H 275 8511 



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